Farm Subsidies, Duties, Quotas, and Tariffs: Effect on American Food

Farm subsidies, quotas, and tariffs have had profound impacts on agricultural production and trade in the United States. In turn, they also have influenced the American diet. Corn is one example. Federal subsidies of corn are among the highest of any commodity, amounting to $30 billion between 1996 and 2001. By the beginning of the twenty-first century, 80 million acres of land were being used for growing corn, 14 million more than in 1970. As a result, corn became cheap and plentiful. Corn is used to feed animals bred for meat. It is converted into high-fructose corn syrup and used as a substitute for sugar. It also is processed into starch, flour, and corn oil for use in prepared foods. The “cornification” of the American diet is palpable. The low cost of corn cheapened the meat supply and drove a threefold increase in the consumption of corn products between 1970 and the turn of the century. Corn is used in everything from cookies to soda.